I picked this up because it was the one of two books the library had by the Marquis de Sade. For his time, deSade was considered pornographic. If he wI picked this up because it was the one of two books the library had by the Marquis de Sade. For his time, deSade was considered pornographic. If he wrote the same things today, he would be on Oprah talking about the evils of child abuse, incest, and pedophile priests. Heavy on philosophy and moralizing on the punishment those who aren't virtuous, he denounces the lack of parental education which allows young virgins to be debauched by dirty old men and his evildoers end up being punished for their sins.

I was reminded of the line from Quills where deSade's wife tells him that the problem is not his writing but that he acts his writing out in his life. The political commentary has mostly been lost but this edition was well footnoted so that some sense of the political commentary was saved. ...more

I remember reading this in college or high school but it's the recommended start for the great books 10 year classics reading program so I read it agaI remember reading this in college or high school but it's the recommended start for the great books 10 year classics reading program so I read it again. I was a nice reminder about the power of questions. Not to mention, the reminder that life should be examined on a regular basis. "The unexamined life is not worth living."...more